There are very few barriers to becoming a foster carer – you certainly don’t need to be a 30-something married couple. With more than 100,000 children in foster care across the UK, there is always a great need for foster carers to provide stable, nurturing homes. There are many advantages to having older people fill this important role.
Here’s why older people make excellent foster carers for young people in need of a stable, nurturing home.
Life Experience and Wisdom
One of the biggest benefits older people bring to fostering is their life experience and wisdom. Having lived through different chapters of life, older foster carers have a deep well of knowledge and perspective to draw from. They understand the cycles of life and can provide guidance during challenging times. With more life behind them than ahead, many older people feel compelled to give back and share what they have learned. As foster carers, they can pass on pearls of wisdom to help inspire and support children and young people.
Time and Patience
Older foster carers are also likely to have more time on their hands, especially if they are retired. This means they can dedicate quality time and attention to fostered children. Children entering the care system might have suffered loss and upheaval. They need dedicated carers who can be patient with them as they work through complex feelings and behaviours. Older foster carers are well placed to provide this consistent presence. Free from the pressures of building a career or raising young families themselves, retired carers can focus wholeheartedly on fostering without other distractions.
Stability and Routine
The stability and routine older foster carers offer can also be extremely beneficial for children. Entering foster care is unsettling for children who crave a sense of normality. With predictable schedules and consistent boundaries, older foster carers can create a safe and reassuring environment. Drawing on decades of parenting experience, they understand the importance of structure for children’s development. Older foster carers may also plan to remain in the same home for years to come. This provides continuity for children who have already experienced too much change.
Emotional Maturity and Resilience
Supporting vulnerable young people can be demanding and distressing at times. It requires huge emotional reserves. Older carers tend to have greater maturity when dealing with challenges. They can draw on a lifetime of adapting to ups and downs to demonstrate resilience. With the benefit of hindsight, older people also have perspective; they know that seasons pass and every cloud has a silver lining. This enables them to remain patient and hopeful during rocky patches. Life experience has also taught older foster carers that recovery takes time, and progress happens slowly. Their emotional intelligence helps create a reassuring environment for children.
If fostering sounds like something you’d be good at, learn more about fostering from your local foster agency.
Older people have much to offer as foster carers for vulnerable children. Their wisdom, time, stability and emotional maturity are invaluable. Often feeling compelled to give back later in life, older people can find great purpose and fulfilment through fostering.
